This invention relates generally to rail vehicles and more particularly to a hopper used for transporting ore.
The design of a hopper for underground use is subject at least to the constraint that the capacity of the hopper can be increased only by extending the length thereof since, due to the physical limitation of the size of the tunnel in which the hopper must operate, the maximum height and width of the hopper are fixed.
Long hoppers, however, are likely to derail or experience excessive wear and tear on the wheels, and rails, arising at curves and bends in the track. This is because of the incorrect geometrical location of the wheelsets relatively to the track as a bend is negotiated.